The African Union Commission convened the meeting to discuss with three affected Member States, namely, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) IOM and the International Labour Organization (ILO) given their involvement, to understand the situation of the African migrant workers in Lebanon, map what has been done, outstanding assistance needs, and measures to scale the support on the ground.
Stakeholders call to address the situation of stranded African migrant workers in Lebanon
African low skilled workers in Lebanon have been exposed to multiple hardships over the past months. This is due to a multiplicity of factors which includes the economic and political instability in Lebanon which has led to depreciation of the currency, inflation and job losses with Lebanese nationals unable to afford workers; the historical sponsorship (Kafala) system which gives room for exploitation and abuse, the impact of COVID-19 which has led to increased pressure on workers particularly care and domestic work due to work-from-home arrangements at workplaces; and finally the explosion in Beirut.
English | September 3, 2020
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